August 2005
Teal numbers up, habitat trends promising
Friday, August 26, 2005
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| Missouri's 2005 teal season outlook is fairly bright. Blue-winged teal numbers are up, and recent rains have bolstered Show-Me State waterfowl habitat conditions. Moderate rain over the next two weeks could create conditions that encourage teal to linger here during the early teal season Sept. 10-18. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY-Numbers of blue-winged teal are up, and Missouri's nine-day early teal season is back for the second year in a row. The ultimate success of that season, however, will depend on weather and the timing of this year's teal migration.
Blue-winged teal are among Missouri's earliest-migrating ducks so they offer waterfowl hunters the first opportunity to pursue their favorite outdoor activity. This year's season runs from Sept. 10 through 18.
Counts of teal on their breeding grounds in the prairie pothole region of the north-central United States and south-central Canada showed that numbers of blue-winged teal increased from 4.1 million last year to 4.6 million this year. Abundant rainfall in much of their breeding range beginning in late May boosted young teal's prospects for survival, so the fall flight could be a strong one. As always, though, hunters' experience will depend heavily on when that flight occurs.
Teal begin arriving in Missouri in August each year. Their migration typically peaks in mid-September. The hunting season is set in the hope of getting hunters in the field during this south-flowing teal tide.
The timing depends on weather. Even a mild cool spell can chase hundreds of thousands of teal southward toward Missouri. If they arrive here during the open season, hunters will have good shooting, at least for a few days.
If the birds find warmer weather, abundant food and plenty of shallow water in Missouri, they may linger here through much of the nine-day season, leaving hunters exhausted but ecstatic. However, a cold snap can move them farther south quickly, giving hunters little opportunity to pursue them. Teal also tend to head south in years when food or shallow wetland habitat is scarce.
This year's prospects look much better now than they did in early August, when Missouri was in the throes of a scorching drought. Resource Scientist Dave Graber with the Missouri Department of Conservation said recent rains have changed the picture dramatically.
"The extended dry spell meant there was less shallow-water habitat to draw in birds and hold them," said Graber. "Abundant rainfall during the last half of August helped quite a bit with that situation."
Hot, dry summers tend to favor cocklebur and other undesired plants over those, like millet, that produce seeds ducks like to eat. However, Graber said wetland area managers report surprisingly good seed production from native marsh plants this summer despite the drought.
Graber noted that Missouri wetlands were parched in August 2004, but heavy rain late that month and in early September actually became a problem, reducing the growth and availability of wetland plants. He said moderate rainfall during late August could ensure favorable native seed production and water levels.
"The bottom line is that we will have to wait to see what the weather does in the next two weeks," said Graber. "That is always true with teal season, but it is especially true this year."
The daily and possession limits for teal are four and eight, respectively. This includes blue-winged teal and their less-common relatives, green-winged teal. Shooting hours are from sunrise to sunset.
Other ducks are present in Missouri in September, and it is hunters' responsibility to identify their targets before shooting.
-Jim Low-
Federal agencies offer deer hunts for Missourians with mobility impairments
Friday, August 26, 2005
Sites all over the state have opportunities to hunt.
JEFFERSON CITY-Hunters who might ordinarily have trouble taking part in deer season will have access to special deer hunting opportunities at seven public areas this fall and winter.
Hunters who use wheelchairs, crutches, braces or canes to get around sometimes have trouble reaching good hunting spots. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) offers five special hunts on land around its reservoirs to help such hunters overcome those barriers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) offers a handicapped hunt at one of its Missouri wildlife refuges, and the National Park Service (NPS) has a handicapped hunt on land bordering the Current River for the first time this year.
Hunt dates and places include: --Nov. 5-6 Clearwater Lake in Reynolds County, two openings. Contact Jason Wilson, USACE, RR3, Box 3559D, Piedmont, MO 63957. Phone 573/223-7777, ext. 35. Application deadline Sept. 30. --Nov. 5-6 Truman Lake in Benton, Henry and St. Clair counties, 22 openings. Contact Larry Smith, USACE, 15968 Truman Road, Warsaw, MO 65355. Phone 660/438-7317, ext. 1212. Application deadline Sept. 30. --Nov. 5-6 Stockton Lake in Cedar, Dade and Polk counties, 15 openings. Contact Stanton Rains, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Stockton Project Office, 16435 E. Stockton Lake Drive, Stockton, 65785-9471. Phone 417/276-3113. E-mail Stanton.r.Rains@usace.army.mil. --Nov. 19-20 Wappapello Lake in Wayne County, seven openings. Call James Gracey, 573/222-8562. Deadline Sept. 30. --Nov. 19-20 Mark Twain Lake in Ralls and Monroe counties, 30 openings. Contact Allen Mehrer, 573/735-4097. E-mail allen.mehrer@mvs02.usace.army.mil. Application deadline Sept. 12. --Nov. 22-23 Smithville Lake in Clay and Clinton counties, 60 openings. Contact Bruce Clark, USACE, P.O. Box 428, Smithville, MO 64089. Phone 816/532-0174, ext. 10. E-mail bruce.k.clark@usace.army.mil. Applications can be requested starting Sept. 15 and must be received by Oct. 20. --December 17 & 18 Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Chariton County, eight openings. For reservations, contact John Guthrie, 16194 Swan Lake Ave., Sumner, MO 64681. Phone 660/856-3323. E-mail swanlake@fws.gov.
Local organizations help out with some of the hunts. At Truman Lake, the Masonic Lodge No. 653 helps with meals, guides and other needs. The event starts with rifle sighting-in the afternoon of Nov. 4. Hunters have access to several blinds on 500 acres. They are responsible for providing managed deer hunt permits, rifles, ammunition and other equipment. They can take up to two deer, including one antlered buck.
At Mark Twain Lake, the Paris Lion's Club and volunteers from Monroe City provide guides, lunch and supper for hunters. Hunters provide their own firearms (shotguns with slugs only) and firearms deer permits. All participants must have a valid hunter education certificate card. They have exclusive hunting access to the 1,200-acre Indian Creek Recreation Area and can take up to two deer.
At Smithville, the Kiwanis Club and Boy Scout Troop 394 of Kearney provide breakfasts and lunches. This hunt offers all-weather blinds, and guides are available on request to help hunters. Every hunter must have a guide to assist in all aspects of the hunt. This hunt allows participants to take up to three deer, including one antlered buck. All firearm and archery gear are allowed when hunting this 4,000-acre combination of waterfowl refuge and undeveloped park land.
At Swan Lake, the Mendon Lion's Club provides lunch for hunters both days. FWS employees, staff from the Missouri Department of Conservation and local hunters serve as guides or volunteers, helping hunters get to and from heated blinds made of straw bales. They also stay with hunters during the hunt and assist them with any deer killed. Hunters will have exclusive use of 3,000 acres for the weekend. They can take up to two deer, including one antlered buck, during the hunt. Only muzzle-loading rifles are allowed. Hunters can bring their own muzzleloaders or use ones provided. All they must furnish is a managed deer hunting permit and lodging during their stay. The application deadline is Nov. 15.
The first-ever COE hunt at Clearwater Lake has room for two mobility-impaired hunters on a 335-acre wildlife area. The land is oak-hickory forest with seven food plots. Participants will be allowed to take up to two deer, one antlered. Hunters must bring a managed deer hunting permit and a helper if needed. The hunt is for muzzle-loading rifles only.
In past years, participants in the hunt at Lake Wappapello were drawn to hunt for one day. This year, successful applicants will be able to hunt both days.
Besides increasing access to hunting opportunities for people with mobility impairments, several of these hunts also are important tools to control deer populations.
-Jim Low-
Waterfowl reservation applications open Sept. 1
Friday, August 26, 2005
Two areas that took reservations in the past won't this year.
JEFFERSON CITY–Missourians who want a guaranteed hunt at one of the state’s managed wetland areas this fall can apply Sept. 1 through 18 for reservations.
Reservations can be made by calling 800/829-2956 or visiting www.missouriconservation.org. You will need the nine-digit identification number found at the top of your hunting or fishing permit or next to the bar code on your Conservation Heritage Card. Drawing results will be available at the same phone number and Web site Oct. 1.
Two areas that have taken reservations in the past are not included this year. Ongoing renovation of wetland pools at Fountain Grove Conservation Area (CA) makes water-level manipulation impossible in pools 1, 2 and 3 this year. Hunting will be available on portions of the area not affected by construction, when and where water conditions permit. Call 660/646-6122 for information about current conditions.
Past applications to hunt at Little River CA have not justified taking reservations for this area, so it will not be included in this year's drawing. Hunting there will be on a first-come, first-served basis in designated areas as posted at the check-in parking lot. Hunters will check themselves in and out.
The daily drawing procedure tested last year at Eagle Bluffs and Otter Slough CAs will remain in effect again this year. Under the standard drawing procedure, each party of up to four hunters draws one number, and parties with the lowest numbers get first choice of hunting spots. Under the experimental arrangement, each person in a hunting party is allowed to draw a number, and the party can use the lowest number drawn. The idea is to increase the number of people who get to hunt each day by encouraging them to form parties rather than hunting alone or in small groups.
-Jim Low-
Dove expert says hunting outlook good
Friday, August 19, 2005
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| Missouri’s dove population remains about the same as in recent years, setting the stage for another good hunting season. Show-Me State hunters shoot more than 700,000 doves each year, bagging a higher percentage of the dove population than any other state. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
JEFFERSON CITY-- "Business as usual" describes prospects for the 2005 dove hunting season, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation’s dove expert. Resource Scientist John Schulz says that is good news for hunters.
Dove season is the same this year as last year--Sept. 1 through Nov. 9. The daily limit remains 12, the possession limit 24. Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until sunset.
Schulz said population surveys conducted earlier this summer showed dove numbers about the same as they have been for the past 10 to 15 years.
"Year-to-year changes in Missouri’s dove population over the past 10 or 15 years are so small they don’t make any practical difference," said Schulz. "Stability of dove numbers means continued good hunting. The key to success is finding the right spot to hunt."
Surveys do show significant differences in dove populations from region to region, however. Missouri’s Bootheel and northwest and northeast prairie regions always come in near the top.
This year, Conservation Department workers found 2.09 doves per mile of survey route in the Bootheel. The Northwest Prairie region was not far behind with 1.83 doves per mile, followed by the Western Ozark Border with 1.56 doves per mile. Runners up were the Western Prairie region (1.40), the Northern Riverbreaks (1.29), the Northeastern Riverbreaks (1.13), the Northern and Eastern Ozark Border (.94) and the Ozark Plateau (.70)
Asked if extreme drought in much of the state will affect hunter success, Schulz said "It’s a two-edged sword. Doves are seed eaters, and they like to feed on open ground. With a drought like the one we have had this year, you get lots of open ground, and it causes plants to mature earlier. That is good for the September first dove opener, but dry weather also decreases the number and quality of seeds."
The abundance of open ground this year won’t be much help to hunters, since most open areas will have little dove food, and therefore few doves. The birds will congregate in areas where local conditions have produced high-quality seeds.
"There is no easy formula for success based on this year’s hot, dry weather," said Schulz. "Hunters who go out before the season and find pockets of abundant food will have lots of shooting. That could mean areas that got more rain or fields where crops were planted early. Otherwise it’s just hit or miss."
The Missouri Department of Conservation manages fields on some conservation areas especially for doves. Sunflowers, wheat, millet and other seed-producing crops make many of those spots dove magnets. However, the quality of managed dove fields varies widely depending on resources available for cultivation. Some fields are excellent, others poor. Only pre-season scouting can reveal the difference.
For dove field locations, visit missouriconservation.org/hunt/dove.
Dove hunters ages 16 through 64 must buy a Small Game Hunting Permit to pursue doves. All dove hunters 16 and older must have a Missouri Migratory Bird Hunting Permit for dove hunting.
Three species of doves are legal game in Missouri. Mourning doves are native to Missouri. White-winged doves, which once were found only in the southwestern United States, have expanded their range into Missouri in recent years. A third species, the Eurasian collared dove, arrived in Florida in the 1980s, probably blown there by tropical storms. That species also has expanded its range to include Missouri.
Mourning doves make up 99.9 percent of Missouri’s annual dove harvest. Show-Me State hunters see the other two species so seldom, they often don’t recognize them until they are in hand. The Conservation Department includes the two uncommon species as legal game so hunters don’t have to worry about accidentally bagging illegal birds.
The daily limit of 12 doves is an aggregate limit, including all three species. For example, a hunter could shoot 10 mourning doves, one Eurasian collared dove and one white-winged dove in one day. Full details of dove hunting regulations are found in the 2005 Migratory Bird Hunting Digest, available wherever hunting permits are sold.
Schulz urged dove hunters to collect empty shotgun shells following each hunt.
"Missouri hunters harvest approximately three-quarters of a million doves every year," said Schulz. "A good wingshooter might kill one dove for every two shots fired. The average hunter fires a lot more shells per dove. That means there could be several million empty shotgun shells lying around after the season unless hunters pick up every spent shell. Littering isn’t just illegal, it’s trashy."
- Jim Low -
Public dove-hunting areas abundant in Missouri
Friday, August 19, 2005
The Conservation Department plants crops for doves on 104 conservation areas.
JEFFERSON CITY--Every Missourian who wants to hunt doves has a place to go. Most have a public dove field within easy driving distance of home.
The Missouri Department of Conservation maintains dove fields on 104 conservation areas.
Sunflowers are the most common dove attractant on these fields. Others have wheat, millet or sorghum. Area managers typically mow strips of these crops just before the dove-season opener and mow additional strips periodically throughout the 70-day season to keep fields attractive to doves. The result is excellent, widespread dove hunting opportunities in Missouri.
"Doves are prolific nesters," said Conservation Department Resource Scientist John Schulz. "The large number of birds they raise every year creates a tremendous hunting resource. The idea behind providing these fields is to make that resource available to as many hunters as possible."
Schulz said evidence suggests the strategy is working. Each year the Conservation Department bands several thousand doves and then counts the number of bands returned by hunters. The percentage of bands returned makes it possible to estimate annual dove survival and harvest and overall dove numbers.
Band-return data also allow comparison of dove harvest from state to state. These numbers show that Missouri hunters harvest a larger percentage of doves than any other state.
"Lack of access to good hunting sites is one of the main reasons people don’t hunt," said Schulz. "The dove-field program shows that people are interested in dove hunting, and they respond if you give them access to high-quality hunting lands."
A list of conservation areas with dove fields is available online at missouriconservation.org/hunt/dove. Local regulations require the use of nontoxic shot for dove hunting on some areas. For details of dove hunting regulations, consult the 2005 Migratory Bird Hunting Digest, available wherever hunting permits are sold. The guide also is available at the Conservation Department Web site.
-Jim Low-
Federal restrictions will affect Missouri ginseng harvest
Friday, August 19, 2005
State rules for collecting ginseng roots have not changed, but restrictions on exports may affect what buyers want.
JEFFERSON CITY--Federal export restrictions on ginseng roots are likely to affect what ginseng collectors in Missouri can sell, even though state regulations have not changed.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Scientific Authority announced Aug. 5 that roots from wild ginseng plants will have to be at least 10 years old to be exported from the United States this year. The previous requirement was five years.
Tim Smith, a resource scientist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, said this will inevitably affect what Missouri ginseng collectors want to dig this year.
"Missouri regulations remain the same as last year," said Smith. "Knowing only that, some collectors might go out and dig a bunch of roots that don’t meet the new federal export requirement. But they might find there is no market for the smaller roots when they bring them to buyers. That would be a terrible waste of time and ginseng plants."
Smith said the new federal restriction is aimed at stopping the decline in numbers of wild ginseng plants in the United States. The decline is due, at least in part, to exports to the Far East, where ginseng root is prized as a traditional medicine.
Missouri’s ginseng-collecting season runs from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31. Ginseng harvest is allowed only on private land here. Collectors may only dig ginseng plants with three or more leaves.
Counting leaves is a rule of thumb for aging plants. This allows collectors to harvest only older plants, ensuring that remaining plants live long enough to produce seed, replenishing their numbers. Plants with three leaves usually are at least five years old. Those with four leaves usually are at least 10 years old. Four-leaved ginseng plants are very rare in Missouri.
"Missouri ginseng dealers may not be buying roots, or may be paying less this year due to export restrictions," said Smith. "Ginseng diggers should contact their buyers before harvesting roots this year to be sure there will be a market for the roots."
For more information about ginseng, visit missouriconservation.org/nathis/plantpage/ and click on "ginseng."
-Jim Low-
New natural area is remarkable for its size
Thursday, August 11, 2005
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| Prairie once covered much of northern and western Missouri, areas now dominated by row crops and pasture. One of the state's largest prairie remnants is 475-acre Pawnee Prairie in Harrison County. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
BETHANY, Mo.-One of the newest additions to the Missouri Natural Area Program offers an unequalled opportunity to preserve a type of landscape that once sustained prairie chickens, bison and other prairie species in northern Missouri.
The Missouri Conservation Commission designated 475-acre Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area in Harrison County as a natural area in November 2004. The area is a rare remnant of the tall-grass prairie that covered millions of acres of northern Missouri in pre-pioneer days. Karen Kramer, natural areas coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said the area is unique in northern Missouri due to its size.
"This is a long way from being one of the state's largest conservation areas," said Kramer. "You could fit almost 50 areas its size into Peck Ranch Conservation Area in Carter County. But it's huge compared to most remaining prairie areas in north Missouri." Prairie remnants are rare today because they grew on some of the richest soils on earth. The vast expanses of wildflowers, bluestem and other prairie grasses that once dominated northwestern Missouri were among the first places to be settled. Pioneers plowed up sod that had covered the ground since the last ice age and planted row crops in its place. Today, less than 1 percent of the original prairie acreage remains.
With the prairie went bison, elk, prairie chickens and a host of other wildlife that greeted settlers and filled their dinner tables with natural bounty. Those days are gone, but the Conservation Department and other public and private agencies are trying to save as many of the remaining prairie remnants as possible. Those areas serve as storehouses for prairies' biological diversity and as reminders of how the land once looked.
Pawnee Prairie is within the Grand River Grasslands Project. This is a partnership formed to identify and preserve remaining prairies in northern Missouri and southern Iowa. In 2003, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) commissioned a study to find out how much prairie remained in the 37,120 acres in Iowa's portion of the project area. They found 115 remnants totaling just 135 acres.
"That makes Pawnee Prairie pretty remarkable," said Kramer. Making the area even more remarkable from an ecological standpoint is its location in the midst of other prairie preservation or restoration efforts. It adjoins a 434-acre tract where TNC is restoring prairie. Just two miles south of Pawnee Prairie CA, TNC's Dunn Ranch is another 3,683 acres of restorable prairie land. Finally, it is in the midst of the 65,665-acre Grand River Grasslands Project.
When the Conservation Department acquired Pawnee Prairie CA in 1997 it had been used for cattle grazing, ranging from light to heavy. The agency has put the land into more natural, prairie-friendly management and has been working to increase the variety of native prairie plants growing there.
"This place was a diamond in the rough when it came to the Conservation Department," said Kramer. "It has a prairie chicken lek-a place where the big, colorful birds conduct their mating ritual each spring. It has several plants that are very uncommon in northern Missouri today, such as a rare species of St. John's wort, Michigan lily, bunchflower, prairie phlox, prairie gentian and culver's root. New plant species appear each year as the prairie recovers. It's very exciting for those who know how vibrant and bountiful native prairies can be."
The Missouri Natural Areas Program is a cooperative effort of the Conservation Department, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the USDA Forest Service, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Its purpose is to represent and manage examples of all of Missouri's natural communities.
For more information about Pawnee Prairie and Dunn's Ranch, visit http://nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/missouri/preserves/. For more information about Missouri's Natural Area Program, visit http://mdc.mo.gov/areas/natareas/.
-Jim Low-
Conservation Department director sets meetings to gauge public needs, wants
Thursday, August 11, 2005
John Hoskins and other top Conservation officials plan a series of meetings statewide to keep the agency responsive to public demands.
JEFFERSON CITY-"Listening to citizens is an important part of our job."
That is the message Missouri Department of Conservation Director John Hoskins says he wants to send Missourians about a series of eight public forums this fall.
Hoskins and other conservation staffers will hold the next in a continuing series of public forums starting Sept. 22 in northeastern Missouri and winding up Nov. 8 in the southwestern part of the state. Each of the eight events will begin with a 10-minute presentation by agency officials. The rest of the time is for questions and suggestions from the audience.
"I really liked the interaction this format allowed in the meetings we held last year, and I look forward to doing it again," said Hoskins. "We learned a lot. I hope those who came last year will come back again and bring their friends along this time." Dates, places and contact information for each meeting are:
•Northeast Missouri, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Scotland County R-1 Schools Elementary School Gymnasium, Rt. 1, Box 19 A, Lover's Lane, Memphis, 660/785-2424;
•St. Louis Region, 7 p.m.(registration at 6:30 p.m.) Sept. 27 at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area (CA), 801 Strodtman in north St. Louis County, 636/441-4554;
•Ozark Region, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 29 in the Community Building at the Texas County Fairgrounds, Highway 63 North, Houston, 417/256-7161;
•Central Missouri, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Mid-County Fire Department Station,148 N. Highway 5, Camdenton, 573/884-6861;
•Kansas City Region, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 11 in the Media Forum Room at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, 816/655-6250;
•Northwest Missouri, 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at Goodrich Auditorium, 423 N. Chestnut, Cameron, 816/271-3100;
•Southeast Missouri, 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Black River Coliseum, 301 S. Fifth St., Poplar Bluff, 573/290-5730;
•Southwest Missouri, 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center, 4600 S. Chrisman, Springfield, 417/895-6880.
Hoskins said the agency also welcomes written suggestions sent to MDC, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.
"Citizens created conservation in Missouri," said Hoskins, "and they still have some of the best ideas about how to do it. These meetings are just one way we seek out those ideas."
-Jim Low-
Conservation crew works to protect Ozark National Scenic Riverway
Friday, August 05, 2005
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| Conservation Department Intern Katie Derr spent a hot, humid July day spraying Chinese yam plants with herbicide at Current River Conservation Area. If left unchecked, the invasive exotic plant could have devastating effects on the Ozark National Scenic Riverway.(Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
ELLINGTON Mo.-Katie Derr peered cautiously into the tangled undergrowth around her, ignoring the persistent whine of mosquito wings in her ears. Backpack straps cut into her shoulders as she ducked beneath a low-hanging vine. Her eyes darted warily left and right.
Then she spotted them: a whole battalion of the enemy was spread out in front of her, almost in range. Her right hand tightened around the grip of her gun. A trickle of sweat slid down the small of her back, sending a chill up her spine. She called for backup.
"I've got a bunch over here!"
Moments later, Bob Gillespie and Scott Kelley took up trailing positions on Derr's left and right flanks. Together, they waded into the fray, guns spitting death. . .
Like most battles, this one played out far from the public eye. The soldiers were workers with the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Derr, a master's student at Iowa State University, is an intern looking to expand her resume. The fair-skinned, 5-foot, 6 ½-inch strawberry blond is getting her wish. She spent the previous work day installing an iron gate to protect endangered Indiana bats at Meramec Caverns. The following day she and her crew would explore Ozark fens looking for new populations of the Hines emerald dragonfly, another endangered species.
Kelley has a wiry frame, a grizzled, close-trimmed beard and a bachelor's degree in art history. He spent years traveling the world as a cameraman for a syndicated hunting and fishing show before deciding to focus his interest in nature elsewhere.
Gillespie, a natural history biologist, is the leader of this search-and-destroy squad. He is a veteran of the plant wars, having worked to eradicate kudzu, fescue, purple loosestrife, Reed's canary grass and a bevy of other invasive exotics in Missouri and Illinois.
All three are lean and buff from days spent hiking through rugged terrain carrying 30-pound backpack sprayers and other gear in all sorts of weather.
The enemy this day was an army of Chinese yam plants that have carved out a beachhead along the banks of Paint Rock Creek in Shannon County. The stakes were high.
"Worst-case scenario," said Gillespie, "in a few years this place could be a solid mat of Chinese yams. They climb right over the top of native plants and shade them out."
In other words, it could be an ecological massacre. The present engagement is limited, but losing this battle could plunge the entire Current River watershed-including the Ozark National Scenic Riverway-into ecological chaos.
The yam's tactics are simple but effective. Instead of producing flowers and seeds, Doscorea oppositifolia spreads by means of aerial tubers, also known as bulbils or propagules. These starchy, raspberry-sized lumps drop to the ground, where they sprout, starting new plants.
Chinese yam is best suited to live along creeks and rivers. When streams rise and wash through yam-infested ground, they pick up propagules and carry them downstream. This method of spread is especially troubling because of Paint Rock Creek's location.
Imagine the banks of the Current River, a national recreational treasure, with no jewel-like wildflowers, no dogwood or sassafras trees, only a dense carpet of clinging vines. That is the future, unless someone intervenes to protect natural Missouri from the onslaught of alien invaders.
The Conservation Department's troops have to be versatile, because the fight against invasive exotic plants has several fronts. Kudzu threatens to smother natural communities in the Bootheel. Purple loosestrife and Reed's canary grass are marching across wetlands, and multiflora rose is rooting out indigenous plants in old fields and on gravel bars.
At Paint Rock Creek, on Current River Conservation Area, the fighting is hand-to-hand. The engagement described above took place July 25 in stifling heat and humidity. The troopers had to traverse minefields of face-level spider webs and artfully camouflaged copperheads and timber rattlesnakes. Their pace is slow and deliberate.
Once located, Chinese yam plants are easy to dispatch. A squirt or two of 4 percent Roundup solution on one leaf is enough to take out an entire plant. The trick is finding them.
"We were in here earlier this year," said Gillespie. "So far we have spent about eight man hours spraying. When we started, there were thousands of plants. Most of the larger ones are dead or dying now, but we still have a lot of work to do."
Chinese yam plants came to the United States during the Victorian era, when Americans' increasing leisure time allowed them to indulge their interest in exotic plants. The Chinese yam was hardy, it had an edible root, and it produced showy white flowers that smelled of cinnamon.
The Conservation Department knows of four places in Missouri with Chinese yam infestations. The site of the original Paint Rock Creek infestation is near an unstaffed Conservation Department shooting range. The spot once was a thriving community where someone had a garden with Chinese yam plants. The community vanished without a trace, but the yams persist. One hundred years later, they continue to drop little ecological bombs into Paint Rock Creek.
The July 25 patrol was a mopping-up operation. The crew gave a few previously treated plants still clinging to life a chemical coup de grace, but most of their attention was directed at sprouting propagules. Spotting plants consisting of only one leaf among a riot of similar native plants takes experience.
"There's a lot of plants that look like it," said Derr as she walked along spraying, "but you get really good at picking out the yam plants (pfft-pfft). It's almost like stalking an elusive beast. There's one of the little devils (pfft-pfft). This could be several plants (pfft-pfft), or just branches from one central vine. It hides so well."
Kelley was more succinct as he scanned the forest floor, squirting brief bursts of herbicide onto selected leaves. "Die, die, die," he intoned softly.
Working conditions were awful. The forecast called for a high temperature near 100 degrees, and by the time the crew set to work around 11 a.m. the sky had the chalky blue color that signals high humidity. Within 30 minutes of leaving their truck, all three were drenched with perspiration. Even the rocks in the dry creek bed were sweating.
Pauses to mop brows were frequent. Kelly had to stop periodically to empty accumulated perspiration from the yellow rubber gloves he wore to protect his skin from herbicide.
The day's work began 2.5 miles upstream from Paint Rock Creek's mouth. The farther downstream toward the Current River the crew went, the fewer Chinese yam sprouts they found. Gillespie said this was encouraging. The Conservation Department may be able to eradicate the yam population because it is isolated.
"This would be a lot tougher if there was a source of propagules on private land where the owner wouldn't let us spray," said Gillespie. "The limited size of the infested area helps, too. It's just in this little creek, not spread across a huge river bottom."
Furthermore, he said, most of the plants on Paint Rock Creek still are small. A mature infestation smothers shrubs and small trees and breaks off low branches of taller trees. The number of propagules from such established infestations is enormous.
If eradication is possible at Paint Rock Creek, it will take a long time. Even after locating and spraying all the plants, the Conservation Department will have to check the site repeatedly throughout the growing season for at least five years. Then monitoring can drop back to every other year for 10 years. If no yam plants are found after that time, the population will be considered eradicated.
However, Gillespie worries that the effort might be too late.
"Because the plant has been here for such a long time, my fear is that yam has already dispersed from this drainage and is established on the Current River. I have seen this in past dealings with this plant in similar streams. We need to look beyond this original site to be sure others aren't developing downstream."
A study of costs of exotic species published in the January 2000 issue of BioScience magazine said that damage from non-indigenous species in the United States alone exceeds $137 billion annually. This did not include ecological or aesthetic costs.
To see illustrations of Chinese yam plants, visit http://www.ill-inps.org/index_page0032.htm. For more information about invasive exotic plants and animals in Missouri, visit http://www.mdc.mo.gov/nathis/exotic/.
- Jim Low -
Taneycomo trout sets new state record
Friday, August 05, 2005
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| Bryan Chapman, right, of St. Louis caught this 27-pound, 8.8-ounce brown trout July 16 at Lake Taneycomo near Branson, Mo. The catch topped Missouri's previous state record of 26 pounds, 13 ounces, which was set at Bull Shoals Lake in 1997. Pictured with Chapman is his son, Blake.(Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo) |
BRANSON, Mo.-Excitement turned to disappointment, then elation, followed by uncertainty. But at the end of the day, St. Louisan Bryan Chapman was the proud owner of the Missouri brown trout fishing record.
Chapman was fishing with his son, Blake, July 16 on Lake Taneycomo below Fall Creek when he hooked what felt like a big fish. It made a short run, then stopped.
"I thought I was snagged on the bottom" said Chapman. "I didn't understand what was going on."
Straining his 4-pound-test line, he hauled upward and was rewarded with the sight of a huge brown trout. Just as the fish came up next to Chapman's bass boat, his line broke. Quick action with a landing net prevented the fish from escaping.
Chapman said the fish weighed more than 29 pounds on a digital scale. However, the thought that it might be a record didn't occur to him then. He froze the fish. The next day he took it to Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Springfield to be mounted.
"They said it weighed 27 pounds on their UPS scales, and that was greater than the state record," said Chapman. "They asked if I wanted to complete the application for a record fish, but said it still had to be weighed on a certified scale."
Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery Manager James Civiello certified the fish's species and weight. Then other questions arose. Was it legal to net the fish after it broke Chapman's line? Did it qualify for a record if net-assisted?
The Conservation Department's Protection Division investigated the circumstances surrounding the catch, and the Fisheries Division mulled the record question. Their answer: Netting a legally-hooked fish close to the boat or shoreline after the line breaks is both legal and allowable under the state record program.
"This had never come up before as far as any of us knew," said Fisheries Division Administrator Steve Eder. "We decided that since a landing net is a legitimate aid to catching hooked fish, if an angler gets a fish within netting distance before his or her line breaks it is legitimate to go ahead and net it."
Eder noted that state fishing records are highly sought-after and prestigious among many anglers. Furthermore, he said, "State records sometimes go on to be considered for world records, so we always want to make sure we consider every fact and get it right. After looking carefully at all the facts in this case, we are confident that certifying Mr. Chapman's record is the right thing to do."
When weighed officially, Chapman's fish tipped the scales at 27 pounds, 8.8 ounces. Asked if setting a state record has been an ambition of his, Chapman said, "No, I was just taking my son fishing. He had been trout fishing in Missouri parks, and I wanted to take him to Lake Taneycomo, where you can really fish for trout."
Chapman's catch topped Missouri's previous state record of 26 pounds, 13 ounces, which was set at Bull Shoals Lake in 1997.
-Jim Low-
